1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gloves and a method of making same, and in particular to gloves with improved comfort.
2. Description of the Related Art
In horse riding, the rider typically wears gloves to hold the reins. The reins pass between the first finger (thumb) and second (pointer or index) finger, and also between the fourth (ring) finger and fifth (pinky) finger. Accordingly, conventional riding gloves often have reinforcing sewn on the fourth and fifth fingers, and on the second finger. While such reinforcing may help provide wear resistance and some comfort, it does not make the glove comfortable on the hand of the wearer.
In typical glove construction, there are seams on the inside where the front and back halves of the gloves are sewn together. The present inventor has recognized the problem that the rider will feel the seams of the pinky and ring fingers rubbing on the rider's fingers whether reinforcing is provided on the outside or not. This rubbing is exacerbated by pressure from holding the reins and can irritate the rider.
The problem is that in order to make a glove, there must be a seam on the finger portion otherwise bending a finger will create a lot of pressure on the tip of the finger. Because the reins are held with fingers bent, such pressure would be unacceptable.
Conventionally, two pieces of material, front and back, are sewn together to form the hand and finger portions for a smoother better finger construction. The front for all four fingers are cut from same piece of material as palm, as is the back for the fingers and back of the hand. There is also a sidewall seam on the pinky and ring fingers. Additional pieces of material are used to form sidewalls for the pointer, ring and middle fingers.
However, there are many variations of making gloves. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,358,823 to Burden, there is a glove with the hand portion and lower portions of the fingers made in one piece, and most of the finger portions made in separate pieces, so that the fingers can be made of a warmer material than the rest of the glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,839 to Safford discloses a glove, designed for use by bicyclists, which has a front panel of wear-resistant material, a somewhat thinner panel of wear-resistant material, and a rear panel of open weave net material. Elongated finger sections of the second panel have sinuous side edges that promote flexibility of the glove finger sections. Resilient pads on rear surfaces of the finger sections provide protection against cuts and bruises.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,053 to Tepley discloses a glove having a palm piece including a thumb portion, a first finger portion and a fourth finger portion, and a straight linear cut connecting the base of the first finger portion and the fourth finger portion at an angle of between about 13 and 19 degrees to a line parallel to a longitudinal axis of the thumb portion, a back thumb piece, a back piece including first, second, third, and fourth back finger portions, and second and third finger pieces are attached together to provide a glove particularly conformed to the shape of the working hand, the hand in action, and the hand as it is naturally meant to be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,750 to Tepley discloses a glove having a palm piece including a thumb portion with a longitudinal axis extending substantially parallel to a lower edge of the glove, a first finger portion and a fourth finger portion, and a straight linear cut connecting the base of the first finger portion and the fourth finger portion at an angle of between about 21 to 25 degree to a line parallel to the lower edge of the glove, as in the other Tepley patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,255 to Schild discloses a glove having a pinky finger, ring finger, middle finger, index finger and thumb receiving portion in communication with a hand receiving portion. The pinky finger, ring finger, middle finger, and index finger receiving portions each have a top panel and a bottom panel, which are connected to form each of the finger receiving portions. An intermediate region of two of the finger receiving portions (ring finger, middle finger) includes a first and second insert. The intermediate region of the other two finger receiving portions (pinky and index fingers) include only a first insert sewn into a bottom panel of the finger receiving portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,896 to Rinehart discloses a finger portion for a glove where the portion comprises two superimposed four-pointed star-shaped pattern pieces where each star forms a finger part. Each pattern piece has a cut out. The pattern pieces are joined together around their peripheries by sewing or sealing in the flat where the line of juncture of the pieces is along lines of non-extension of the fingers formed by the finger portion. The finger portions of one pattern piece are longer than that of the other pattern piece and the pattern piece having the longer finger part is folded to form a tuck when joined to its corresponding finger part of the other pattern piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,245,357 to Connelly discloses a curved gunn-cut glove construction wherein the fingers of the glove curve inwardly towards the palm portion of the glove to conform to the configuration of a hand when in a relaxed state. The palm piece of the glove including the front portions of the first and fourth fingers are joined to a back piece including the back portion of the first, second, third and fourth fingers as well as to a middle piece including the front portions of the second and third fingers.